Pandemics, poverty and population: essays in economic history

The first set of questions relates to the topic of famine. I ask if pre-famine conditions correlate with famine severity and if population pressure is a cause of famine.

This is examined in the context of nineteenth-century Ireland. High-resolution spatial data is used to establish what was contributing to increasing poverty before the Famine, and how these factors and poverty were correlated with Famine population loss. <br><br> The second area I look at is fertility and its relationship with financial development. The context of pre-Famine Ireland is used as a test of the old-age support hypothesis by using access to different types of microfinance institutions at parish-level. <br><br> The final area of focus is historical pandemics.